Munchausen Mum Escapes Jail Term

By: Beth McHugh 2008

So what happens to a mother when she is found to be suffering from
Munchausen by proxy? As we learned in the previous articles on this
puzzling condition, Munchausen by proxy or its alternate title, Factitious
Disorder by proxy, is a condition whereby the legal guardian, usually
the mother, deliberately harms her child in order to draw attention
to herself.

Such a mother usually presents herself as being very caring and loving
towards her child. Because her child is so chronically ill, with a whole
range of puzzling and perplexing sicknesses, and the mother is so devoted,
she is often seen by friends and medical staff alike as being a “wonder
mom”.

In a recent case that occurred in NSW, Australia, a mother escaped
a jail term for deliberately injuring her child because she was found
to be suffering from Munchausen by proxy. She was found to have injected
excrement-contaminated water into her six month old son by means of
a hypodermic needle. This resulted in multiple trips to hospital, where
the mother was noted to be extremely devoted and concerned for her infant
child. However, attentive staff discovered that the mother herself was
causing the child's repeated illnesses.

The sentencing judge noted that the offence was serious and that it
was only a matter of luck that the mother didn't cause the child permanent
damage or death. A psychiatrist who was called in to investigate the
case claimed that the mother probably suffered from factitious disease,
or its more common title of Munchausen by proxy.

The woman was found to have deliberately injected the contaminated
substance into the boy's drip line while he was admitted to hospital
for a minor injury. These are the typical scenarios under which sufferers
of this disorder are discovered. The condition can go on undetected
for years, particularly if the mother does not seek outside medical
help for her child. But the need for admiration and attention drives
such a mother to take the child to hospital where a wider audience is
available to praise her. Fortunately many cases are picked up by medical
staff, but sometimes the behavior of the mother does go undetected and
the child unfortunately dies.

The woman in the above case escaped a jail term but will hopefully
be rehabilitated through counseling which addresses her desperate need
for love and admiration.